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Embracing the Summer Solstice: Bright Lights and Peak Point Reflections

As the ‘longest’ day of the year, the Summer Solstice is a time of abundant sunlight and warmth, offering a perfect opportunity for reflection and rejuvenation. This annual event, occurring this year on June 20th in the Northern hemisphere, symbolizes not only a peak in daylight but also a peak in our own personal energies and potential.

Strength of the Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice has been celebrated for centuries across various cultures, marking a time of fertility, growth, and renewal. It is a day when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, casting the longest shadows and reminding us of the power and vitality of light. This day invites us to soak in the solar energy, embrace the warmth, and ignite our inner fire to pursue passions and goals.

Here are some ways to maximize your experience during the Summer Solstice:

  1. Reconnect with Nature: Spend time outdoors, whether it is hiking, gardening, or simply enjoying a picnic in the park. Nature has a way of grounding us and providing a fresh perspective on life.
  2. Engage in Creative Pursuits: Use the extra daylight to explore creative hobbies such as painting, writing, or playing music. Creativity can be a powerful outlet for expressing your innermost thoughts and feelings.
  3. Practice Mindfulness and Gratitude: Take a moment to reflect on what you are grateful for. Mindfulness practices like meditation or yoga can help you stay present and appreciate the beauty of the moment.
  4. Connect with Loved Ones: Strengthen relationships by spending quality time with family and friends. Host a solstice gathering or a bonfire to celebrate the day together.
  5. Pursue Personal Goals: Reignite your passion for personal projects or set new goals. The solstice is an excellent time to tap into your ambitions and take actionable steps towards achieving them.

For your consideration:

The Summer Solstice is more than a seasonal event; it is a powerful reminder of the light and potential within us. By embracing this time to reconnect with nature, pursue passions, and reflect on your journey, you can bask in the light that burns from above and from within your spirit. I invite you to harness the strength of this potent time to live life to the fullest as you make an inventory and assessment at this energetically highest peak of the year.

Here’s how you can make the most of this reflective period:

  • Review Your Aspirations: Reflect on the aspirations you set at the beginning of the year. What have you accomplished? What needs more attention? Adjust your plans as necessary to stay on track.
  • Evaluate Your Well-being: Consider your physical, emotional, and mental health. Are you taking care of yourself? Identify areas where you might need to focus more energy, such as exercise, diet, or mental health practices.
  • Reflect on What You have Learned: Celebrate your progress, and acknowledge the lessons you’ve learned. Understanding what worked well and what did not can guide you in making better decisions moving forward.
  • Set New Intentions: The halfway point of the year is a great time to set new intentions. What do you want to achieve in the coming months? Write down your intentions and make a plan to pursue them.
  • Recenter Yourself: Strive for a centered life. Ensure that your personal, professional, and social aspects are harmoniously aligned. This fosters overall well-being and sustained success.

Okay, your turn:

What will you be doing this upcoming Solstice? I’ll be noticing the light as it brightens my steps that carry me through the wilderness.

I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2024 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.

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New beginnings

New beginnings

A whisper in the wind

A blank page untouched by time

In the sliver of dawn

Where shadows fall back behind

The horizon line

Faith blooms anew

In the silent space

A promise of what may yet unfold

Among the secrets

Still untold

Like dewdrops on petals

In soft morning light

A dance of potential

With a wiggle of might

New beginnings

Like a canvas wide

Invite us to paint a journey

Much obliged

For in the beat

Between breaths and sighs

Is where the magic quietly resides

Okay, your turn:

New beginnings…love ‘em or dread ‘em? Does it depend? If so, in what ways?

I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2024 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.

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A bonfire blazes

Amidst this sultry realm, with nature at its prime

A bonfire blazes tall, a beacon in the night

Its crackling flames like whispers

with wisdom to uncoil

Inviting us to gather ’round and to let our spirits sail

The bonfire’s glow, a mesmerizing sight to behold

It paints the evening sky with dancing hints of rubies and of gold

Drawn in like moths, we form a circle tight

Sharing laughter and our stories

igniting pure delight.

As the embers crackle and leap

the warmth from them felt upon our skin

We find solace in their flickers, a respite from the din.

For in this fiery haven, worries gently fade away

Replaced by joy and camaraderie, where memories form and play

With friends and loved ones by our side

we find a sense of bliss,

A soft breeze with hints of revealing secrets

with every nuzzle and quiet kiss

We bask in summer’s glory, as the stars adorn the sky

And in this shared existence, our souls are lifted high.

As the night seeks out its slumber, and embers fade to gray

We take comfort in the new memories, caught within the bright display.

For in our hearts, a spark will forever reside

Always ready to inspire

A reminder of that summer’s eve

when life met all of our desires

Okay, your turn:

Whether it be memories of summer camp, or summer school, or staying up late…what does the heat of the summer time invoke in you?

I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2023 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.

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June’s solstice brings

June’s solstice brings

Tall flowers

and a shower or two

upon the desert

An oasis

is forming

and bubbling

beneath the surface

Oh gathering

solstice

sympathy of souls

When the sun is done

and down

Is it really ever down?

As we honor June’s solstice

may we see its shining

wisdom

among the shadows

peeking out

at us

As we journey through time and space

May the solstice’s gleam

Guide us as we weave our soul’s own dream

And esteem

Gathering steam

On this auspicious occasion

Once an earthly year

Let us smile and behold

In our soul’s delight

And welcome all wonders

seen

and unseen

With all our mighty

fire

and light

Okay, your turn:

What about June’s solstice arises in you? …anything in particular that has come into sharpened view for you this year?

I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2023 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.

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The sun gives light

The sun gives light

The moon receives

The moon reflects

all it can

all the light

that shines

for all of us

to receive

and reflect

back

upon one another

without doubt

without delay

instantaneous

is its response

All aglow

always in flow

without regard

to the visage

appearing in the night sky

As above

So below

It is done

It is complete

Automatic

Autonomous

and

far from

famous.

Okay, your turn:

In what ways have you noticed nature’s divine magic? Have you looked? Will you now?

I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2023 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.

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Gratitude

Gratitude

begets gratitude

It is cyclical

What goes around

comes around

Spiraling

until the lesson

is learned

and

appreciated

for what it is

and for what it is not

Clear

Confident

Blessed

For your consideration:

Taking a moment to step off the merry-go-round, what do you observe about yourself, your life, your growth? Any recurring patterns worth saving? Any worth discarding?

We do get to choose. It is all in the noticing.

Okay, your turn:

What areas of your life are evolving? In what way? When something ‘comes around again,’ do you reflect on what you can do differently?

I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2022 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.

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A moment of repose

A moment of repose

As we approach another changing of the seasons

and a close to the year

I pose

this question

to you and for you

to consider

In a moment of reflection and repose

I suppose

It’s not too much to ask

Not too much to request

and suggest to myself

and to all who will receive it

That we take a breather

and embrace the stillness…

the isness…

and

the ever-available forgiveness

of the moment.

For your consideration:

Among the hustle of the holiday season, may you set aside a quiet moment of reflection and repose? Heck, set a timer for 22 minutes, if you must.  Yeah, okay, that may not sound particularly spiritual, but it works!

For me, this holiday season so far has been one of deep study and stillness amongst the storm of society, external influences, and seemingly endless unrest.  I go within, where all is well. I invite you to do the same. Let your soul be your guide.

Okay, your turn:

Would you rather plow through the holidays, making lists, and checking things off the list, going back to the list, checking the list again, and on and on? Or, would you rather smile at the joys of the season, the light, the shimmer and the glimmers of hope? What you see is what you get. The light is what you are.

I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2021 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.

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Across the veils

Across the veils

From the center

outward

revolving

evolving

contacting

communicating

relating with

all the relations

Across the veils

so thin

and frail

To avail

myself the opportunity

to connect

with those

who have passed on

to other worlds

across the multiverse

only to converse

in telepathic ways

among the waves

of grief

For your consideration:

When we say someone has passed on, have they really left us, truly?

This time of year, with the observance of Samhain, All Hallows’ Eve, All Souls Day, Day of the Dead, all converging upon early November, the connection with the spirit world is stronger than ever.  I feel it. I lean into it. I blend with it. With each subsequent year, I emerge more and more connected, more and more at peace, with all that was – and all that – is.

Okay, your turn:

Have you lost loved ones, and if so, did the love leave with them?

I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2021 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.
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Coming in from the fields

Coming in from the fields

In agrarian societies such as rural Ireland, the harvest time was and is a time of bringing in from the fields all that’s been growing there. You truly reap what you sow.

Some prefer the word Autumn to describe this season. I like to call it Autumn. For some reason, I love saying autumnal. Saying the word aloud sounds as it is…full and rich. Another term in even more common parlance for this season (Fall) refers to the falling of the leaves from the trees. And, you may have heard the phrase “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

On a recent road trip to go apple picking, I visited a small (9-acre) farm and walked their orchard. An abundance of apples were scattered on the ground beneath each tree. Nature naturally (pun intended) knows when to release the fruit once the stems gradually loosen their grip, and the fruit becomes too heavy for the stem to bear. Gently, the tree releases its ripened fruit. So, somewhat to my surprise, I found the apple picking excursion to be more of an apple collecting venture. I did reach up and nudge a few apples from some of the trees into my basket. What stood out for me most, however, was the subtle, refreshing fragrance of the apples wafting in the air as I walked the paths between and among the trees. I felt a certain kinship with the apples and the trees, and thanked them for their gifts.

Whilst in a poetic mood, I leave you with a poem by John Keats that so lovingly captures the splendor of the season:

To Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
    Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
    With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
    And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
        To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
    With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
        For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
    Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
    Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,
    Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
        Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
    Steady thy laden head across a brook;
    Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
        Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
    Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
    And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
    Among the river sallows, borne aloft
        Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
    Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
    The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
        And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

For your consideration:

As is often a theme here on Soul Notes, I ask you to take a moment to consider the lessons that nature teaches us, with each passing season. This Autumn, what are you releasing this season from your proverbial tree?  What are you collecting in your basket?  Any surprises?

Okay, your turn:

Share what are you harvesting. What are you bringing in from the fields? What is your bounty?

I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2021 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.
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Today is your life

“Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”

“Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”

This phrase, popularized during the 1960s and ’70s has a nice ring to it, indeed. A catchy phrase, so to say. It’s a way of reminding us that we can start fresh, start over, each day brings a new dawn. It’s the latter part of the phrase, though, that can be confounding. The “rest” of your life, as in the remainder of your life, what is that, exactly? It’s unknown. It’s the grand mystery. The remainder could be years, months, or an instant.

Today IS your life, yes?

Sure, there’s the unfolding. There’s the becoming. There’s the planting, the cultivating, the growing, the expanding, followed by the harvesting and the fruits of our labor. There can be beauty, grace, lessons, and meaning in all of these. Heck, many a Soul Notes article has been devoted to these topics. In my own life, and in others’ lives, I advocate for the process of envisioning, and easing into the flow, and merging with the natural cycles.

There’s wisdom in setting sail and course-correcting with awareness and intention. It’s not an either, or. It’s an all-in. All-in this moment. All-in with all senses engaged. All-in awareness. Now. And again. And again.

For your consideration:

Here’s another popular phrase: “We have time to kill.” If we’re simply treading water waiting for the ‘real’ event to happen, then what happens in the meantime? It’s ALL in the meantime!

As the signs say along the tracks of the London Underground: Mind the Gap.

Living with awareness brings the present moment into focus. Living without awareness is a life, erm, not really lived — a life suspended, like a tolling of a statute of limitations. Don’t be that person. Be you. All of you. All the time.

Okay, your turn:

Rephrasing the ‘the first day of the rest of your life’ into: Today IS your life — When you read this, what comes up for you?

I invite you to share your observations, feelings, and experiences by leaving a Reply in the Comments section, below. Soul-to-soul!

© 2021 Lori A. Noonan. All Rights Reserved.

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